Even after the law had been read to him, he did not cease to maintain that he ought to enter, saying: The passage read is probably from Lev 16, certainly including verse 2. Even after the law had been read to him may be translated “Even after they had read the Law to him.” He did not cease to maintain that he ought to enter may be rendered “he kept insisting, ‘I want to go into this building.’ ”

“Even if those men are deprived of this honor, I ought not to be”: Those men may refer specifically to the priests mentioned in verse 11, but in fact it includes everyone. One may translate this brief quotation as direct discourse, as in Revised Standard Version and Contemporary English Version, but also as indirect speech (see the second model below).

Here are two possible models of this verse:

• They read to him from their Law, but even then the king continued to claim that he had the right to enter the building. He said, “I have the right to go in there, even if no one else is allowed.”

• They read to him from their Law. But Philopator still claimed that since he was king, he had the right to enter the building, even if no one else was allowed.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 3-4 Maccabees. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2018. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.